If you are new: Your first metric is “did I publish on the day I promised?” Second: “did anyone I trust listen and give feedback?” Everything else is seasoning.
Do this first
- Track publish streaks on a calendar—gold star beats vanity downloads.
- Ask three listeners what almost made them stop; fix that before chasing charts.
- Only compare 28-day windows after you have at least eight episodes live.
Growth is not “biggest number wins.” Use trends, completion, and funnel metrics that tie to your goals.
Rolling windows
Compare last 28 days to the prior 28—same seasonality. All-time downloads inflate ego, not decisions.
Completion and drop-off
If 40% bail in the first two minutes, fix intros—not marketing. If a segment spikes rewinds, make more like it.
Site and email
Track episode page visits, newsletter click-through, and conversion to paid products. Podcasts are a funnel, not an island.
Surveys
Annual listener surveys surface geography, roles, and feature requests stats miss.
Related reading
Next step
Analytics on Cubecast for actionable trends.